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RESPECT THE RIVER PROJECT
WHERE IT STARTED
Respect the River is a project dedicated to the restoration and conservation of riverine ecosystems, starting with the Malgas river. The project was initiated by a group of citizens from George along with the members of the Garden Route branch from the Botanical society, to create awareness amongst the community about the inorganic waste that continues to land up in our precious ecosystems, especially the riverine ecological corridors, such as the Malgas river.
During a year of river clean up events, that took place monthly, we realised that there are multiple different problems/systems that are having a detrimental impact on the health of the Malgas river's water - which flows from the Outeniqua mountain, through urbanised settlements and into the sea.
The management of river ecological corridors is an important measure to revive the ecological environment of a river and experience harmonious coexistence between humans and water.
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WHERE WE ARE NOW
The Respect the River project is now lead by Garden Roots project's team and we have a multi facetted management approach to help restore and conserve this riverine ecosystem. We are collaborating with other environmental companies and NGO's to ensure that the restoration process can continue. Collaborations include; hosting reforestation through tree planting events and hosting educational events covering a variety of environmental topics with focus put on working with members of the community that live within close proximity of Malgas river.
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CHALLENGES WE FACE ALONG THE MALGAS RIVER
One of the biggest problems we face along the Malgas River is invasive & exotic species that are suppressing and outcompeting the endemic fynbos and indigenous tree species.
Another huge issue, that is very difficult to resolve, is the sewage & grey water systems that continuously overflows directly into the river - this is happening in more and more riverine ecosystems within the Garden Route. This is a health risk for the aquatic life that keep our rivers clean, animals such as; bushbuck, caracal and leopards etc. and of course humans too.
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COLLABORATION
The aim of the Respect the River project is to collaborate with companies, non - profit organisations, communities along the river, and citizens that are keen to contribute towards protecting, and conserving, our local riverine ecosystems. This is to ensure clean water for the future years to come. Clean, running water is becoming more rare and we have an opportunity to make a direct positive impact on the riverine and general ecosystems that we reside in.
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HOW CAN YOU HELP?
It is important to have balance between doing the work and receiving funding to continue doing the work ethically and ecologically correct.​
Working with companies willing to fund this initiative is a vital part of biodiversity management through Respect the River project's team and hosting of events along the Malgas River. There are many different aspects to be covered with regarding funding for events.
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If you would like to support Respect the River project through a donation, here is a list of some of the processes that we need funding for, let us know if there if a specific process you would like to fund. :
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Skilled labour to continuously do exotic clearing amongst fynbos and indigenous species threatened by invasive species. This is number 1 on our priority list.
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Compensation for community members, that have been trained and live along the river, to continuously collect inorganic waste from the river and sort the waste into different categories for recycling etc.
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Compensation for knowledgable facilitators to join the environmental educational events to teach the community and children more about how to care for the riverine ecosystems and wildlife corridors and more.
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Reforestation through sponsoring trees to be planted where exotic clearing has been done and the indigenous seed bank is depleted or weak.
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Technology for marketing and development of social platforms such as:
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High functioning laptops & hard drives.
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Camera gear for proper documentation.
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App development for data capturing.
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We are always looking for support to continue conserving wildlife corridors & riverine ecosystems, especially those that are threatened by loss of diversity through development or invasive species, in the Garden Route such as the Malgas river.
Our team is made up of passionate individuals who are committed to preserving our natural resources for future generations. Join us in our mission to protect & conserve our wildlife corridors, and natural resources like drinkable water flowing through the rivers of the Garden Route.
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"Healthy ecosystems hosts healthy humans."
RESTORATION & CONSERVATION
At Respect the River project, we offer a wide range of services aimed at restoring and conserving riverine ecosystems that are wildlife corridors.
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We conduct specialised exotic clearing with low impact techniques that allow us to successfully clear exotic plant species whilst using less herbicides within the riparian zone. This is vital for the restoration process to continue. Focussing on areas where there are indigenous species growing but the exotics are growing at a rapid rate - posing a threat to indigenous and endemic species. This is where we can have a major impact on saving & conserving our natural seed banks within the soil without needing to plant back.
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Tree planting events are very popular and people are always enthusiastic and willing to come plant trees. When we come together to plant trees we focus on sourcing endemic or indigenous plant species where the seed is saved and cultivated within close proximity of the planting sites. For these events to take place Respect the River needs to receive a donation or funding for the sourcing of trees, compost, mulch, facilitation costs and snacks. It is always a memorable day and the success is showing in the growth of the trees that have been planted up to date..
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The educational events focus on the communities & school's with citizens that live within close proximity to the Malgas river. These events are focussed on teaching the kids how to assess the ecosystem's health status; assess what direct impact sewage overflow, exotic plant species, inorganic waste and human settlements have on the health of the riparian zones; and how we can help have a positive impact on the health of the ecosystems that we live in or that surround us.
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We deal with the inorganic waste along the river to make those involved aware of the health risks associated with pollution in our river systems. We have separate buckets and bags for sorting waste into different categories, such as: reusables, compostables, recyclables, single use plastics for eco bricks and glass and plastic materials that cannot be reused. Waste management and education plays a key role with understanding what a healthy ecosystem should look like and how we can directly have an impact on environment we reside in.